Delicate
by Wildfires Within
Summary: It was the only word that matched her imperfectly. She was an enigma, a complete mystery, and only one word seemed to transcend her nature yet clash with it all the same – delicate.
1. Chapter One

His day had started out like any other after the near world annihilation. 5am wake up – sleep was for chumps, a quick indoor workout regimen until the clock chimed 6am, and a shower to get ready for what the day would throw at him.

Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned annihilation and near apocalypse thing, Director Nick Fury had demanded his impromptu team of heroes take a long and much deserved break. There were no loopholes. No matter of an emergency would get him to call upon the Avengers, not yet, at least – vacation time was "scheduled" for two months.

Steve secretly hoped that something drastic would happen so as to have something _exciting_ grace his life once more. Born into Depression, lived and fought during a war, woke up in an entirely new era, saved the world (once more), and his vacation time wasn't being used up to its full potential. Steve was, quite simple, _bored_.

A shower would normally do nothing to alleviate his nerves – a stir crazy attitude had started developing recently, and he needed to get out.

Do something. Anything.

He decided that today was the day for something exciting to occur. He got dressed once more in a plaid, button-up shirt. Stark would make fun of him every single day for the never-ending supply of plaid or button-ups, or both, but Steve didn't really care what he thought, or what anyone else thought, for that matter.

He laced up a pair of Italian dress shoes. That was one of his favorite things about this loud and unpredictable future – he could wear nice dress shoes and no one would judge him for it. However, those shoes had been the only recent splurge he'd spent money provided by Shield.

Despite the many efforts of Stark or Clint to push him into modern technology, Steve was still reluctant. Thor had recently gotten himself a cell phone, and had snapped the measly thing in two within the first hour in his haste. He often saw people on the streets nearly getting run over or driving haphazardly whilst on the "convenient" technology, but Steve had no use for it.

Besides, if there was ever to be a true emergency, there were few places where Steve would be hiding out.

Looking at the clock, Steve realized that it was barely, almost 7am. There was probably nothing worthwhile in the city to do – at least, nothing both worthwhile and wholesome. He sighed. Regardless, he got up and did the final patting of pockets to make sure he had everything. Keys? Check. Wallet? Check.

He opened his wallet to make sure everything was in its place, even though it always was. Inside was an identification card, issued by Shield and the government with his name and photo on it. If something terrible were to happen, at least someone could possible identify him or know who they were dealing with.

Another slim black card was slipped inside the mostly empty wallet. Fury had explained how the card worked – "like a credit card" his words were at first, until confusion marked Steve's features did Fury realize that he had to further explain things. "It takes money out of an account. It's accepted everywhere, even internationally. Don't worry about how much money or where it comes from. Just know that you can use it as much as you want."

Steve didn't use it much either way. He was traditional, liked using cash, which was why therein his wallet a few twenties were stashed. Just in case.

Stepping outside, Steve always had a small panic attack – a leftover from his asthmatic and sickly days, he presumed. It was all so chaotic out in the world. People rushing to work, cars honking their horns, joggers, dog walkers, miscellaneous kinds with arbitrary looks and objects and….Steve took a deep breath to calm down.

The New York City he had grown up in wasn't small by anyone's standards (except, maybe, modern New Yorkers nowadays), and it had been chaotic, but not this kind of chaos. It always seemed like Steve was in danger of someone or something…

Sure enough, a teenager on a skateboard whizzed by him, and muttered something about "slow people blocking his way". Steve frowned. He had yet to become accustomed to today's attitudes.

At this hour, Steve could figure only one place to go – coffee haven. Or, more specifically, his coffee haven. Bean Me Up Espresso was local (Steve appreciated local) and Banner had managed to drag the entire team on a trip there. Although Stark kept making jokes about "Star Trek" and Banner's pure nerdiness, Steve had enjoyed the small shop, and made it one of his weekly spots to relax.

Truthfully, he didn't understand the joke until he asked Clint, who didn't get a chance to answer before Natasha cut in. "Don't worry about it – it's this show about the future and some ship and stuff. Really nerdy, and right up Bruce's alley. I don't think you'd like it much…"

With that answer, Steve figured it'd be better to trust Natasha – she was a good judge on people – than to question her explanation.

Sure enough, Bean Me Up was open and ready for a busy morning as the line entailed. Steve sighed, and found a small pathway inside to find a seat. He had time – plenty of it, and he could wait until this rush hour slowed down.

One of his favorite things to do was people watch. Even back in the old days when staring was considered taboo, Steve couldn't particularly help himself. It was a force of nature. His mind would start wondering, and then he'd start looking at people and wondering about them too.

However, with so many people and so much noise, his concentration was wavering, so he thought it best to focus on something. Looking down at his table for two, there was a newspaper someone had left on the table over. Reaching, he grabbed it and focused his attention on that, instead of the chaos around him.

Half an hour later, Steve shut the newspaper, having completely read it front and back (with the exclusion of some areas that didn't hold his interest). Looking up, the shop had quieted significantly. There was only one person in line, and he figured that if he didn't hurry, somehow the shop would fill up again.

Ordering a large coffee, black, no sugar, no room, Steve went back to his chosen table and sat, deciding then that this was his opportunity to watch people, albeit carefully.

Then and there, a pixie-like redhead entered the shop, having a conversation on a cell phone. Steve paused mid-sip, and stared at her. She wasn't paying attention to him, or to anyone, but rather the person on the other side of the phone.

Something stirred in Steve, and he knew that all he wanted to do was keep this stranger safe. It was a strange feeling, and one that he could easily blame the following events on.

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped out of the shop, Steve followed, at a distance.

He was captivated, and he just wanted to know one thing – her name.

* * *

**A/N: A new story for an entirely new category. Hopefully I get some feedback - any kind, be it criticism or whatnot, is welcome.**


	2. Chapter Two

He didn't really _mean_ to eavesdrop on the redhead's conversation – it just kind of happened. That was his story, and he was sticking to it.

"I'll be right there Laney, I swear, you have the patience of…I don't know, something that doesn't have patience!" She exclaimed, gesturing wildly with the hand that was holding her coffee.

It was almost comical watching and following her – she'd lose focus of the fact that she was carrying a coffee cup in one hand and it would occasionally tip to its spilling point before she'd gasp slightly and straighten it once more.

"I understand that he's probably trying to play with the others and trying to get them dirty too, but can't you just isolate him?"

Steve was curious – what could they possibly be talking about? He had a slight clue, but without any other context clues, it was a wild guess.

Suddenly, she looked down the street and, with no cars coming, ran quickly across it. Steve cringed as a police officer on the other side of the road frowned, but when she approached him, he lifted his hand for a high-five and got it from the redhead, along with a smile.

He chuckled. She must've been a regular to jaywalking, or she knew the police officer, or some odd combination of both things. As quickly as the chuckle had come, however, it left – he realized that he couldn't cross the street the way she had without setting alarms in both the police officer's mind and possibly hers, if she'd been observant to the not-quite-conspicuous Steve.

It was hard to be unnoticeable, being about 6 foot and having the build that could only come from years of working out – or super soldier serum, either one.

He had lost her – and didn't have anything to go by. He wasn't going to be able to find her, possibly never, in a city of 8 million people and counting. He sighed and now that he was further into the city, thought of what he could do.

Option A, walk aimlessly around for a few hours until he grew bored. Option B, go back to his apartment and sulk. Option C, jog around Central Park to kill time. Or…what was it that Pepper had suggested to break his mundane routine?

_"Have you thought about getting a girlfriend?"_ No. That wasn't something Pepper would suggest – that had been Stark. And it hadn't been worded quite so nicely.

With that, he made a decision – Stark Tower was the best place to go now, and see what the team would suggest – ignoring Stark's ideas, of course.

From his apartment, it was a six block walk, and from the coffee shop, a nine block walk. He trekked back to his apartment and climbed up three stories to his room. He needed to grab the keycard that he kept in a secret place to get into the large, high security building.

Lifting the mattress with ease, he grabbed the keycard that was taped on the mattress itself. His hiding place may have been a bit too obvious, but most people didn't look under mattresses anymore – it was almost silly to do so, Steve had convinced himself.

Before he left, Steve glanced at the clock hanging in his kitchen – it proclaimed 9am, and Steve realized how much time he had spent at the coffee shop and after the unknown redhead.

He didn't know a thing about her, really, yet she intrigued him. She had seemed almost like a porcelain doll – so easily breakable, however…something about her wasn't quite right. She was short, compared to his height, at least. Steve speculated no taller than 5'3, maybe 5'4 since he hadn't gotten close enough to her to judge her height. Her most distinguishing feature, however, had been the flashy red hair, cut short and left wavy.

It was bittersweet to be intrigued by another redhead. He had never gotten a chance with Peggy, nor would he ever; he had learned to accept that through patience and talking with Banner and Pepper. Somehow, the two had become his pseudo-therapists – whenever he was having a particularly hard time, he would talk to one, the other, or both. He found that they both had advice that helped ease his troubles.

Steve had managed to convince Fury to give him access to records of past years – boxes and all sorts of files were located in an underground floor of S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. It had been transferred digitally on a secure server, but Steve didn't want to go through the headache of using a computer to find what he needed. Stark had laughed at that, stating that it would be more trouble for him to go through boxes than to enlist a computer to search through everything digitally.

He was stubborn, and wanted to prove Stark wrong. So instead of relying on technology like so many people did today, Steve had spent two weeks underground in a dusty and dark basement, pulling out archives and folders and reading through all of them.

His findings only got him so far – Peggy Carter was almost as mysterious as S.H.I.E.L.D was. She had worked for Howard Stark after the war. There were several records of different expeditions in an effort to find the sunken plane of Captain America, but nothing worthwhile had been found. After four attempts, Howard Stark had called it quits – he said that they had scoured the entire possible area of Steve's landing, and nothing had been found. The following day, a resignation notice from a "Miss Carter" had appeared on Stark's desk.

After that, Peggy had disappeared off the planet, or so it seemed since there were no records with the military or none that could be found via Steve's digging. Stark had been helpful in this area – he had found that Peggy had moved back to England, where she worked at a small bookstore until she was in her mid forties – at that point, she moved back to America with a family.

Peggy Carter had left a legacy behind. Three children, who had children of their own, were all interspersed between the United States and several European countries. Steve hadn't looked into who her husband had been – he wasn't quite ready for that knowledge.

At eighty years old, Peggy had been moved into a nursing home – something Steve didn't agree with. Such a lively person living in a home didn't seem fair. As soon as the anger had come and gone, he realized that the decisions the Carter family made were their own – he no longer belonged in Peggy's life. A year and a half before Steve had been awoken from the ice, Peggy had passed on in her sleep and buried in a cemetery near Boston, where she'd spent the last of her years.

Steve had yet to gather the courage to visit Peggy's grave, but he had made himself promise that once he did, a visit every two weeks had to be scheduled. He owed Peggy the time that he had missed. The time that could have been theirs.

Walking into the 75th floor kitchen, Steve was met with a giant bear hug from Thor. "Captain! It is a pleasantry to see you once more! What news have you brought for us today?" He boomed in his larger-than-life voice. Clearly, Natasha and Clint's efforts to teach him about inside voices had yet to work.

"Not much Thor, but thank you for asking," Steve gave Thor what he hoped was a convincing smile. Most of the time, if a smile didn't follow an initial greeting, Thor would either be convinced that the speaker was mad at him or that something terrible had happened. "Do you happen to know where Pepper or Bruce are?"

Natasha and Clint strode into the kitchen, sitting next to each other at the alcove. Although Steve had been offered a place at the "Avengers Tower", he had declined. He needed time to adjust before he moved someplace with so much technology within.

"Bruce is in his lab, tinkering away," Clint answered with a shrug. "As for Pepper…"

"She invited me to go shopping…I said no." Natasha said with a small smile. "Good morning, by the way…" She said offhandedly. Clint lifted his coffee mug in agreement as he took a sip.

"Oh. Okay…" Steve said awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

"If you really want to reach her, you can always call her cell phone," Clint suggested. "But I wouldn't tell Stark you're trying to reach his girlfriend. He might get upset." Steve rolled his eyes. If there was something from modern-day that he had picked up well, it was learning that small mannerism. "If you want, Natasha can show you how to use hers."

He cringed. He didn't want to disturb Pepper's shopping. "It's okay, if you're bothering her shopping session, she simply won't pick up." Natasha assured him. In the background there were pots and pans clanking against each other loudly, but she didn't respond. Clearly Thor's "cooking" (or burning, more or less) was a normal occurrence.

"Okay, I guess…" Steve was still unsure, but he figured that if Natasha was being reassuring instead of her usual stoic self, then she was just trying to help him.

"Here, it's ringing already," she said, handing him over the phone. He held it up to his ear and listened to it ring twice before there was a small click.

"Hello Natasha, are you ready to join me?" Pepper's voice chimed cheerfully into his ear.

Steve cleared his throat. "This isn't Natasha, but if you want to speak with her…"

"Oh Steve! How are you doing?" She recovered quickly, her tone soothing and much softer now.

"I'm doing…okay," Steve answered. "But I have a question for you…"

"Go ahead, I'll try and answer it, but no promises." A voice in the background of wherever Pepper was asked her something "Miss Potts, would you like help getting all these bags into your car?"

"That would be great, thank you so much," she whispered softly, waiting for his question.

"I forgot what you told me to do if I was starting to get bored…I'm sorry." Steve admitted, albeit slightly bashfully.

"Don't apologize for something that doesn't need an apology. At least you listen. Tony could use some help in that area." Pepper responded with a slight chuckle in her voice. "I suggested that you get a pet. You seem like a dog person, and I think that it'd be good for you."

"Do you know any good pet shops around?" He asked. He was somewhat reluctant to the idea of having to take care of something else when he could barely take care of himself some days, but he figured that if Pepper had suggested it, she had to have a reason behind it.

"I don't – Tony is allergic to all sorts of creatures, so there was never any reason to get a pet, but I'm sure if you ask Jarvis, he'll be happy to tell you. Tell you what, I'll ask him and we can go together?"

"That sounds good," Steve smiled. Pepper knew how to deal with people, and despite her hectic schedule, she was making time for him.

"All right. Tell Natasha to put me on speakerphone."

In a few seconds and with the push of a button, Pepper's voice was much louder and everyone could hear her. Steve made a mental note that the speakerphone somehow amplified the speaker's voice. Just in case he ever decided to get a cell phone.

"Jarvis?" Pepper questioned, waiting for the AI to answer.

"Yes, Miss Potts? How may I be of service to you today?" He…it…Steve wasn't sure what to call the AI yet, but he figured with time, he'd settle on one.

"I need you to find me a pet store…one preferably with excellent service, maybe some puppies that have already been trained? I don't know if they do that though…" Pepper paused. "Well, anyways, a pet store that'll have a plethora of animals, big and small."

"I've got several matches, Miss Potts." Jarvis said, popping up a screen on one of the kitchen walls with several listings. "I'm narrowing them down to the ones within two miles of the tower…" the listing became somewhat smaller, but it was still lengthy. "Would you like the shop to sell exotic animals as well?"

"Hmmm…" Pepper thought for a second. "How about nothing too exotic?"

The list suddenly was cut in half with that prerequisite. "All right, would you like me to tighten the limits on what people consider excellent service?"

"Yes. We might be there a while. I don't want to deal with someone I don't like or wants to push a pet unto Steve just for the sake of making a sale." She said thoughtfully.

The list dropped down to three pet shops. "I'll send the coordinates to your phone Miss Potts, and Mr. Rogers, would you like me to print you a map?"

"A map would be great," Steve nodded, not entirely sure if the AI was sentient enough to capture his nodding. "Thank you."

"Thanks, Jarvis," Pepper said and, addressing Steve once more, the AI waited to say what he wanted to say. "I'll meet you at…Pam-Purred Pets…is that okay Steve? It'll take me about fifteen minutes to get there."

"That's fine, see you soon, Pepper." Steve said, handing the phone over to Natasha so she could hang up.

"Mr. Rogers, your map will be upstairs – in Mr. Banner's lab. It was the closest printer I could find in the building, if that is fine with you."

"Okay, thank you Jarvis." Steve said gratefully. Maybe technology wasn't so bad after all.

Steve sighed. He had a long day ahead of him, one that might result in finding an animal friend for him.

He wasn't sure what to think of that.

* * *

**A/N: I'd like to thank the few reviewers who commented on this last time - thanks so much! **

**This chapter is especially long because I really had no idea where to cut it off without making it awkward...so I apologize if it's seems to go on and on. Haha. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and feedback is always welcome!  
**

**Best Regards,**

Audrey C.  



	3. Chapter Three

"Promise me you'll keep an open mind after that disastrous encounter?" Pepper asked as she and Steve walked down the busy street.

"I don't know Pepper…that was…something." Steve said with a light blush.

* * *

The first shop they had stopped at, Pam-Purred Pets, was closed on Wednesdays. Steve found that a bit strange, but to each their own. It just meant that they weren't going to see any dogs or other animals they had to offer.

The second shop was the disastrous encounter Pepper had been referring to. Despite that Steve had Pepper with him didn't mean he get hit on any less often. Most people often assumed they were siblings or cousins – which was okay with Steve in a certain aspect. Stark would kill him if he thought that Steve _liked_ Pepper in that way. Which he could never really do, truly, without feeling remorse.

There was, however, an unfortunate side of the whole "clearly they must be related". Women would hit on him, relentlessly. Steve didn't see it, didn't have the self-confidence to think that they were really interested in him. He still saw himself in that scrawny view, which didn't land him too many points with the ladies. As if he was looking for that now.

The young woman (whose name was Kelly, if Steve remembered correctly) had not even bothered looking up when they entered "The Pet Palace", just saying "if you need anything, let me know."

Clearly Jarvis had missed on the service of this particular pet shop. Pepper had frowned, but said nothing, giving it a chance. Every place had at least one lackluster employee – no one could be perfect.

Steve had looked around a bit, but no animals had piqued his interest. Maybe he just wasn't an "animal person". Maybe that could convince Pepper to go back to Stark Tower.

At that precise moment, Kelly had chosen to look at her customers and gasped. Tall, blonde, muscular…if he had baby blues, this stranger could possibly be perfect. Steve had turned at the sound of her gasp – a natural reaction, he supposed, perhaps a damsel in distress.

She had caught sight of those baby blues, and she was smitten. Of course, Steve didn't know that at the time, and he had continued perusing through all sorts of different reptiles.

He didn't think he could take care of a snake or otherwise however, so he had meant to turn back around to the section of puppies when Kelly had popped out of nowhere. Steve was surprised when she had given him a small smile, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Perhaps naivety was to blame for the events forthcoming – Steve naturally trusted people and he didn't expect young ladies to say things like Kelly did…

"So…cutie, how about you and I go out on a date sometime?" She had said, purring slightly as if to convince Steve that her idea was an excellent one.

"Umm….uh…well, you see…" Steve had started stammering out, feeling his face get a little bit hot.

"Or…" Kelly winked, "We can skip the dinner and small talk and jump into a bed together?" By that point, she had already placed her hand on Steve's chest, where he was sure she could feel his heartbeat thumping loudly. He hoped she didn't take that the wrong way.

Steve felt his face get even warmer. It felt like someone had turned up the thermostat suddenly, and now it was blazing hot inside. "Ummm…is it hot in here?" Steve chose to ask at that moment, his voice rising by a small pitch, imperceptible to Kelly, but Pepper had picked up on it.

"I think that just might be me," Kelly said, licking her lips suggestively and looking at Steve as if she were ready to devour him.

"Excuse me," Pepper chose to interrupt at that moment. The right moment, Steve thought, thankful that she had intervened. "But I think we're done here. Let's go Steve."

He didn't need any more convincing than that – he basically bolted towards Pepper, his "security blanket" for the time being.

With that, Pepper practically marched out the door, Steve in tow, but not before shooting a few well-deserved glares at Kelly.

* * *

"I mean, honestly, that girl was a man-eater. And a terrible one at that!" Pepper exclaimed as they continued walking towards their final stop.

"…I wouldn't really know…" Steve said with a light shrug. He was still reeling from Kelly's words. Young ladies weren't supposed to even remotely reference…_that_ in everyday conversation, let alone suggest it with a perfect stranger.

"Well, whatever the case may be…she was a…" Pepper paused, looking for the right word. She didn't want to offend Steve, but she needed the right word to get the meaning across. "Trollop."

"You mean fast?" Steve said with a smile. "Promiscuous I guess would be a better word," he shrugged again.

"I guess that'll do," Pepper chuckled. "Though I have a few, stronger choice words in my repertoire that I'd prefer to use on her...but we can't win them all. Oh! The next shop is about half a block away."

Steve nodded in tune with her last statement. "I'd rather not see you use those words…might change my entire opinion of you." He said jokingly.

"Well, there's a reason why I don't like driving – it'd be best for all of us not to get into a vehicle that I have to drive, and I'll leave it at that," Pepper laughed.

Steve joined in her laughter. After such a ridiculous moment, it felt good. Freeing. There was still a lot to worry about in his life, but the little moments like this made it all worthwhile.

"We're here!" Pepper said excitedly, knowing that Steve might find an animal companion here.

The outside looked promising – bright funky letters spelled out the name "Haute Dogs" and in smaller letters underneath spelled "& Other Critters". The large bay window that usually contained puppies held five kittens and one large cat – their mother, Steve thought. The kittens were probably big enough to be sold now, as all of them were napping wherever sunlight fell.

He smiled. He was enjoying this shop too – it was…quaint, as Pepper would probably say. There were a few balloons clinging to the sides of the store, out of reach of the cats, and someone, probably a nearby artist, had painted paw prints all over the bay window. All in all, Steve was impressed, and dare he say it – a little excited too.

Pepper pulled on the door, and a small jingling announced to whoever was inside that they had customers. This shop, unlike most shops, smelled good. It still had the lingering "animal" smell, but it wasn't as prevalent. A woman's voice from the back called out "I'll be right with you! Feel free to look around!"

Steve found himself captivated by the kittens at the window – he went around to look at them again. He was seriously considering the perks of getting a cat, but he didn't want an aloof cat that would hardly be around him. Maybe in older age he'd consider buying and nurturing one.

"Steve," Pepper called, ushering him over. "Look at these dogs!" She said excitedly. He walked over and looked at the eclectic mix. Three dogs resided in the large pen with enough room to stretch with the comfort of looking cozy. Clearly who ever owned the shop cared for their animals.

A beagle was snoozing, stretched out on his stomach while a cocker spaniel worked his way through a chew toy. A fluffy white dog that Steve didn't know the name of meanwhile prodded towards the glass, pressed its nose against it and wagged his tail excitedly.

Steve smiled. He felt like he was doing that more often than most days. It was nice. Someone cleared their throat behind them, and they both turned.

"I am so sorry about that – it's feeding time, so I needed to get a giant bag of kibble from the back."

Pepper nodded in understanding. "No, no worries. I mean, animals get hungry too. I'm sure they're hampering for a feeding."

"I'm Melanie, the store owner," she stretched out her hand and shook them both firmly and with a smile. "Unfortunately one of my employees recently broke his foot, so I've been running the entire place by myself. But if it's all right with you, you can take a look while I do their feedings?"

Steve nodded. "That's fine with me."

"Perfect! If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask me." With that, Melanie spun on her heels and went back to her current task.

"Well, she was nice. Helpful as she could be in the situation too. And pretty. Watch out Steve, she might try to hit on you." Pepper said playfully, with a chuckle following shortly after.

Steve blushed at the mere thought of that once more. Not that he'd been looking, but Melanie was pretty. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail but it still cascaded down her back. Her eyes had been this grey blue color that was pretty and reminded Steve of his mother's eyes. But other than that, she hadn't caught his attention the way his mystery redhead had.

A small smile formed on his lips just thinking about the girl who had so piqued his interest. However, as soon as it had come, it was gone – he didn't know a thing about her still. Maybe by revisiting the coffee shop, he could meet her this time…

"Hey Steve?" Pepper called out, motioning for him to get closer. "I think I might have found the perfect puppies for you."

Looking inside the case were three golden Labrador Retrievers. And Pepper was right – they were nice, and probably loyal too. But Steve wasn't convinced. Maybe animals just weren't his thing.

"I'm not sure Pepper. I mean, a dog is a big responsibility." He was about to walk away and look for other animals when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bunch of Dalmatian puppies. Whereas the others were focused on him, wagging their tails and focused on grabbing Steve's attention, there was one who was busily chewing on a tennis ball. He looked up at the commotion, saw Steve and sat up, panting slightly before stretching and yawning. Steve liked him. He wanted to buy that one specifically.

"Melanie? I think we've got us a winner…" Pepper said quietly, as Steve and "his" dog had a moment.

"All right, let me go take a look." She said as she walked over. "Aww, the Dalmatian puppies have been very popular lately. I'm sad to see them go, but they'll have good homes." She paused and grabbed what Pepper interpreted as a random key, but clearly there was some order in the giant key ring because the pen popped right open. "Which one were you looking at?"

Steve pointed, and Melanie smiled. "She's a sweetheart. A little bit of an oddball, and not entirely focused on what's going on around her, but I think that's what makes her special."

He nodded, entirely focused on _his_ puppy. He was smitten with her. Melanie obliged with what was easily readable on his face and handed her to him. A small whimper escaped the puppy's mouth, but as she found a grip in Steve's strong arms, she settled down.

"Okay, let's go do some quick paperwork, and we'll have you right on your way. Sound good?" Melanie said with a smile as she lightly tapped the puppy's nose.

"That's fine," he answered, following Melanie to a counter set up against a wall. Hopefully Pepper could help him answer some of the questions, since he was preoccupied with his new puppy.

Pepper smiled at Steve. He looked as happy as a child, which in her opinion, was very well needed, especially now.

He was excited – in a matter of minutes he would get to take her home. He looked up at his surroundings, not really taking in anything until his eyes landed on a photograph neatly framed on the back wall of the counter.

Melanie and two dogs were prominently featured and so was another young woman. A young woman with bright red hair that was cut short. Could it be…maybe she was the mystery girl? But above all else, one question popped into Steve's mind.

_Who was she?_

* * *

**A/N: Hello readers! Sorry about the wait this time around - life just sometimes takes over and between demanding professors and lots of uni work, I was quite the busy bee. Hopefully now I have more time to dedicate to this...key word being hopefully. Haha.  
**

**Anyways, let me know what you think - it would be much appreciated! Thanks so much for reading too!  
**

**Best Regards,**

**Audrey C.**


	4. Chapter Four

"Steve?" Pepper asked, as he seemed completely focused on something entirely different than the task at hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he jolted back into the present moment.

"Uh…sorry." He apologized, trying to focus. He looked at Melanie. "Excuse me ma'am, you were saying?"

Melanie cleared her throat. "It's okay to call me Melanie, or if you prefer, Ms. Porter – my mother is ma'am. She doesn't like it either, however…" A small smile graced her lips. "As I was saying, your puppy here is officially 9 weeks old. Ordinarily, I'd prefer to let them go closer to twelve weeks of age, but considering the bond you two have made, I'm willing to reconsider. Especially because this little rascal, along with her brothers and sisters, is already housebroken. "

"Thank you, Ms. Porter," Steve said gratefully. She was right – his puppy seemed particularly attached as she snoozed lightly in his arms.

"So I just need this paperwork filled out, and payment for her, and she is all yours."

"Here Steve, I'll take care of this paperwork since you're obviously busy," Pepper said as she stood and took the clipboard as her phone started ringing. Clearly she was going to work her multitasking magic and take the call while filling out the forms.

There was an awkward pause as Melanie sat down at a stool, clearing her throat. "So…your name's Steve?"

"Steve Rogers, miss," he said slightly stretching his hand while juggling the napping puppy in his arms.

"I saw you looking at some of these photographs on the wall…" she said, turning to look at them. She pointed at one – an entire family of dogs surrounded a little girl in a tutu. "I guess you can say that I've always had a soft spot for animals. So what better thing to do than open a pet shop, right?" Steve smiled at her. He wanted to ask about _the_ photo, but didn't want to come off as too openly curious.

"I think that you've done an amazing job. And clearly all these animals are well-cared for."

"Over the years, I've had a lot of help. But I think everybody needs a little help sometimes. Some more than others, but that's obvious." She pointed to another photo – two dogs sitting and staring at the Eiffel Tower. "That one I picked up in a thrift store. It was too cute to pass up." She pointed to a few more photographs and explained them to him, and although Steve was doing his best, he was about ready to ask her about it himself.

"And this one," she said, pointing at _the_ photo, "are my best friends on the planet – Coco, Giorgio and Vera." She pointed in order. "I named the two dogs, since Vera couldn't decide for herself."

"Vera," Steve repeated. "I've seen her somewhere," he said, trying to get more out of Melanie about her.

At that moment, Pepper walked back in and set down the forms on the counter, interrupting them. Steve groaned inwardly – he had been so _close_ to getting information. All he had was her name, and not even a last name.

"All's said and done," she smiled at Melanie. "Oh, and here's the credit card for payment."

Steve frowned. "Pepper, wait, I can pay for this."

"You can, and I know that, but consider it…an apartment warming gift from Tony. Plus I also wrote down supplies at the bottom of the page that you'll need, and that'll be a gift from me." Melanie nodded at this and stood up, probably to collect everything Pepper had written down.

He opened his mouth to argue, but Pepper frowned. "Don't argue. Besides, you'll wake up this already spoiled puppy. What are you going to name her?" She asked, effectively changing the subject.

Honestly, he hadn't thought of anything. When he was younger he had always wanted pets, but the situation plus asthma and allergies to pretty much every animal hadn't equated to his wishes. He tried to think of something he liked, something that meant something to him…

"Summer. Her name is Summer," Steve said, assured in his choice. Summers had always held good things for him, even though he'd always been more of a winter person.

"Cute name," Melanie responded as she came back with an armful of things. "It suits her." She reached over and pet the soft creature near her ear. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. "Anyway, I think I have everything?" She questioned, looking to Pepper and Steve for affirmation that everything _was_ there.

"Let's see," Pepper said, looking through the items. "Food and water bowls, a leash, a collar, food, of course….some treats and toys…you are a miracle worker," she smiled at Melanie. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Best of all, I already ran everything and you are good to go. Would you like a box for all of this?"

"That would be great," Steve answered this time, readjusting himself to move Summer in a more comfortable position.

"I'll even get this out to your car," Melanie responded, packing everything away. "Oh! And shameless plug time," she blushed slightly. "Here is my business card – if you have any questions at all, or want a pal for Summer here, don't hesitate to call or email, or even drop by."

"There's two business cards here," Pepper mused, looking at the other one.

"Well, if you need a groomer…" she said sheepishly. "I recommend her. I might be a little bit biased, but honestly – she's one of the best." Melanie looked at Steve now. "I didn't mention this, but Vera owns a pet grooming business. We've known each other such a long time and…well…a little publicity here and there is always a good thing." She smiled. "It's really only if you _need_ a groomer – I don't want to force you to a groomer."

Pepper smiled at her answer. "Okay. Thank you so much for your help. We might be in touch about some more animals."

"Sounds great. Have a nice day out there." She waved as the duo exited her shop. Before leaving, however, Steve turned to look at her, and gave her a large smile. She had just given him all the information he needed.

* * *

Steve frowned as he looked at Summer. She was focused on chewing the tennis ball in front of her, and not on him.

"Come on Summer," the puppy turned to look at him. She was starting to register that that was _her_ name. Sometimes she didn't turn, but other times she did, so Steve could only hope that his theory was right. "I need a reason to go to the groomer's…I can't just show up with a clean puppy."

She made a half-growling, half-groaning noise, looked at Steve and back at her ball. Ultimately, she chose Steve, standing and walking over. "Do you want to go for a run?" Summer tilted her head, and in his mind, it registered that he was trying to communicate with a dog. He sighed.

"Umm, okay…let's see here." He grabbed her leash and realized that he'd yet to put on her collar. He looked around and spotted it sitting on his kitchen table. The red leather was smooth to his touch, and Steve could only wonder how much Pepper had dropped on _his_ dog.

Luckily for him, Summer didn't struggle as he snapped her collar on. It fit a little bit on the big side, even on the smallest setting, but Steve knew she'd grow into it – it was fine for now. He clipped the leash on her and she immediately started wagging her tail. Good. She knew what a walk meant – maybe.

He took it as a good sign, and headed out the door of his apartment and down the stairs. However, as soon as they were outside, Summer tugged slightly on the leash. Even though she was fully trained (as a few basic commands had shown him and Pepper), she was definitely stubborn.

"Summer…no." Steve scolded, feeling a little bit guilty, but immediately, she let up and walked right beside him. Well, at least she listened.

As they approached Central Park, Steve was gearing up for a good run. Hopefully Summer could keep up – he was pretty sure she would, with the never-ending energy she had as a young puppy.

Unfortunately for Steve, he hadn't counted on Summer's clumsiness – she clearly hadn't grown into her body as she started stumbling about. Steve sighed – maybe a walk could be nice too. Less energy, but still nice for the two of them. Summer let out a low groan and looked up at Steve.

"It's okay, we can make up for lost running time when you grow into your body. I know what it feels like." Even though he was opening up to a dog, it still felt pretty good – Pepper had been right. A pet was exactly what he had needed. But still…he felt that something else was missing.

Maybe it was time to concoct a plan to meet Vera in person.

What Steve hadn't counted on, however, was that fate had a bit of a different plan. It had been his mistake, really – the leash had slipped from his hand, and in that second, Summer had taken off. She was quick – but he was still a super-soldier, so he took off after her.

He would have almost missed her, had Summer not been wagging her tail and sniffing the gaggle of dogs surrounding her – a mussed mess of red hair. He stopped immediately, adrenaline thrumming through his system. He hadn't planned it this way – he was supposed to have a plan.

"Hello! Is this your dog?" The redhead offered with a smile. Steve walked over, unsure of what to say.

He cleared his throat, trying to think of anything to say…

"Umm, hi, yes, that's Summer…uh…she's mine." He could feel his skin getting hot.

"She's beautiful. And quite friendly." All six or seven dogs surrounding her started wagging their tails at Steve. "She seems to have made some friends."

"….yes, she's…something." Steve groaned inwardly. _Ask her what her name is!_

Almost as if she read his mind, she offered up her hand. "Where are my manners? My name is Vera."

"Steve," he offered, shaking her hand.

"Well, Steve, I would love to stay and chat, but I'm currently preoccupied," she glanced at the dogs, all sitting, but clearly seeming impatient. "Maybe I'll catch you later."

"Maybe," he smiled, then realized that his voice had cracked on the word 'maybe'. Was he really this nervous about meeting her? Before she decidedly took off, she turned back and waved. "Bye, Steve!"

Her friendliness was a rare thing in New York…but it had been the redhead at the coffee shop and in the picture – he had met her…and not exchanged a single ounce of information.

Holding on to Summer's leash, he considered running after her to get a phone number or something. Then, it finally dawned on him – he had everything he needed in the form of a business card sitting in his apartment.

_Perfect_.

* * *

**A/N: To say that I've been busy is an understatement, but I won't make excuses - just uni, as always. Is it too much to ask for winter break already? Hahaha.  
Anyways, please feel free to drop me a line about any thoughts - I'd love to hear them and feedback is always good for the muse. ;)  
**

**Best Regards,**

**Audrey C.**


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